Workshop Recap - Commissioner Jim Donelon

Welcome to our first speaker recap from this year's outstanding workshop! Today's post comes from PICA member Kirsten Faherty:

What an honor it was to have Commissioner Jim Donelon speak to PICA, especially considering that everyone in New Orleans' insurance industry is very busy right now with the recent need to open area spillways to avoid additional flooding. In fact, Commissioner Donelon was coming to us right from an interview on the morning news. I really appreciate that he was able to join us.

The first thing I noticed about the Commissioner is that he is truly a take-charge person. While Jan Wright had prepared notes to introduce him, she didn't need to use them because as Jim came in, he said hello, found a chair toward the front of the room, asked if he could sit in it and then jumped right in! That capable attitude is exactly what you'd need to have if you were going to oversee all of the insurance happenings for a state like Louisiana, which has had more than its fair share of catastrophic events.

Jim covered a lot of ground during his hour with us. He had a lot to say about Louisiana, both from a professional standpoint and because he has lived there his entire life. Here are some of the main points that stood out to me:

- Even after Hurricane Katrina, only 40% of people living in Louisiana have flood insurance. I thought that number would be much higher!

- The National Flood Insurance Program paid $15 billion in property damage in Louisiana alone. That number is just staggering and really illustrates just how much damage people experienced as a result of Katrina.

- Katrina is the highest insured loss in the history of our industry, at $25 billion total paid.

- The levees are now the best they've ever been, and Commissioner Donelon believes that with $15 billion in reinforcements over the last five years, they are now equipped to withstand another hurricane like Katrina.

Commissioner Donelon explains the state of the insurance industry in Louisiana.

A good question asked by our group was, "How has Louisiana avoided insurers pulling out of the area (due to previous loss history)?" Donelon explained that, unlike what has unfortunately happened in Florida, Louisiana agents are able to profitably write insurance. The way that the state and most carriers handled losses after Katrina has made Louisiana "a poster child for how to do things right." Considering that in Florida, Citizens Insurance is first in the state, and it's sixth in the State of Louisiana, we can see that other carriers are able to do business profitably.

The Commissioner has been involved in the insurance industry for a long time and has seen many losses, but he maintains a sensible, positive attitude. Considering everything he has witnessed, it was reassuring to hear him say, "Our city is stronger today than it was the day before Katrina hit," and that he is, "cautiously optimistic that the bad days are behind us and good times are ahead of us."

I learned a lot during our hour with Commissioner Donelon, but the strongest fact that I came away with is that Louisiana's insurance industry rests in very capable hands.

Exciting Times for PICA, Inc.

We're currently working on advertising our PICA workshop for the first time ever! We've always relied on word of mouth and repeat attendees to make the PICA workshops a success, and it's worked just fine. But as we try to bring new faces (with new ideas and enthusiasm attached to them) we're also prepared to try new things. This year, that means advertising.

What are some of your favorite insurance publications, either online or print? Go ahead and list them in the comments section and we'll consider them as we look at the best ways to promote PICA...

Thanks!

Seattle 2008 = Big Success!

Thank you to all our PICA 2008 Workshop attendees! What a fantastic, informative conference we had - whether it was getting up to the minute industry thoughts from Gerald Schmidt,CPCU, learning how to improve our business writing with Lynn Gaertner-Johnston of Syntax Training, interacting and inspiring creativity with Randy Dixon of Unexpected Productions, or brushing up on best practices for copyright with Stephen Garfield of the Copyright Clearance Center, we enjoyed our time together and our brains are officially FULL!

We did manage to add some fun to the mix, though, didn't we? Who can forget the great meals and camaraderie at Oliver's, Dahlia's, Cutter's or the Icon Grill? How about our excursion to the Space Needle by Monorail? And shopping was second to none as the Westlake Center was right next to our wonderfully accommodating hotel, The Mayflower Park Hotel.

If you weren't able to join your PICA friends for this year's session, don't worry! You know we'll plan another stellar conference for 2009.

If you missed the workshop, this blog is news to you! We've decided to make the original PICA Web site a "storefront" where non-members can go to learn about PICA the organization. We'll be updating that site to make it cleaner and tighter. The member login will be eliminated, and all information useful to members will reside here, on the blog.

So, this blog will serve as a communication center to keep you connected all year long. You'll be regularly updated on the latest PICA related events, interesting articles, and most importantly, your thoughts - you can comment on every post and submit your ideas for updates and articles right here. As you know, in the communication world, blogs are THE hot way to communicate - we can update immediately and frequently. And, if you want to forward this link to others who might be interested in joining our group or attending a workshop, this will provide a better feel for who we are as an organization.

The "PICA-Connect!" forum we tried last year after the conference kind of fizzled - you needed a password and who can remember another one of those! With this blog format, you can stop by anytime - no password required - and catch up on all things PICA. You'll still receive e-mails, but each will contain a link to this site. Also, the PICA storefront homepage will include a link to this site to help drive people here.

We hope that you'll enjoy this new feature and added service...as always, we're ready and willing to make PICA the organization that YOU want it to be. We're nothing without you!

Stay tuned for photos, updates and more!

Join Us For Our Annual Workshop!

In this year's workshop, learn about industry trends, network with insurance communications professionals and spend time with the experts. Featured guests and sessions include:

• Industry Update with Gerald P. Schmidt, CPCU, President, Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Co., Enumclaw, Wa. Learn more about what is going on in the insurance industry right now, discover what trends and issues are on the horizon and get more information about what you’ll need to know as an industry communicator in the coming months. Immediate Past President of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, Schmidt is an industry expert with special insight into the most current issues affecting insurance companies.

• Master Your Message with Lynne Gaertner-Johnston, Founder and Business Writing Expert, Syntax Training.
  Enhance your writing skills, recognize how to get results in email, determine what your varied readers need and how to provide it, plan and write any document using a simple strategy, and accentuate the positive, even when the message is negative. Get solutions to your writing challenges, and take away tips and tools.

• Get Spontaneous by Improvising with Unexpected Productions.
  Kick up your creativity, enhance your brainstorming abilities, increase your spontaneity and find ways to boost the interest of your everyday publications.

• Understanding Copyright with Stephen Garfield, Director of Corporate Account Management, Copyright Clearance Center.
  Is citing a source enough to allow a quote or reprint? Do you have permission to reproduce articles for your publications or company Web site? Learn about the practices you can follow to protect your company and abide by the law.

Our conference will be held at the Mayflower Park Hotel and we've secured reduced room rates for our attendees:

• Please ask for Reservations and reference Professional Insurance Communicators of America, Inc. when reserving your room.


• We've secured room rates ranging from $155 - $195, depending on whether you'd like a Classic Room ($155), Deluxe Queen ($175) or Mini Suite ($195).


• These rates are valid for stays beginning as early as April 12. If you plan to stay in Seattle longer than the end of our conference, please ask if your rate may be extended when you make your reservation.
  
  We hope you'll join us in Seattle! To register, please complete the registration form, which includes payment and mailing instructions.